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Thread: HID / LED how-to source

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    HID / LED how-to source

    While not yet completed with pictures can someone make this a sticky? Thanks!

    LED / HID Conversion Guide – by Harly4d aka Jeremy

    Disclaimer: I’m neither familiar with nor responsible for the legal aspects of anyone changing the lighting in their vehicle. It is up to you to determine what is legal and what is not. For example many jurisdictions have laws / regulations against having blue exterior lights! HID conversion is a hot debate. So, make these modifications at your own risk!

    A good place to start is to determine what bulbs you need for your particular vehicle: OSRAM SYLVANIA - Replacement Guide - Start

    Of course the only true way to find out what type and size you need is to remove the bulb you plan on replacing and note the number of terminals & filaments & size.

    HID:
    - High Intensity Discharge (like street lights)
    - Use ballast to start arc in tube
    - Cold warm up period
    - Generally consume less energy than halogen counterpart
    - Better color rendering
    - Come in a variety of color choices measured in Kelvin (K)
    - Generally the higher the Kelvin rating (closer to blue & purple) the less light output. (This can be counter acted by higher wattage kits – see below)
    - Headlight replacement bulbs now include option with “high beam” functionality. These are generally referred to as BI-XENON. There are two methods used to achieve this. First is a solenoid that moves the arc tube in and out and second, a servo that moves it left and right. Both methods are used to try and focus the tube for high beam operation. There is a now a new method, such as the H13-2 bulb, that includes both an HID arc tube for the low beam and a regular halogen bulb that is used in conjunction with the HID bulb to achieve high beam. Thus is has no moving parts!
    - Two different ballast choices: regular or slim (digital). Slim ballast being digital - offer less electrical noise. They are also easier to mount and of course cost a little more.
    - Ballast & lamps also come in two different wattages 35 or 50/55. The 50 watt kits offer more light output, which I would only recommend if you plan on purchasing lamps in the higher Kelvin range. Recently I’ve seen kits with an adjustable wattage, which is a nice feature, but the price outweighs the functionality (in my opinion).

    There are so many sources for HID light kits. EBay is OK to use but try and stay away from sellers from other countries. Their prices are much cheaper (shipping is normally much higher) but when it comes to customer service and shipping time you’ll end up losing money, especially if you have a problem and have to send something back. Trust me I’ve been there!

    Some quick information on LED’s (Light Emitting Diode’s)
    - Appear clear until energized
    - Reduced energy consumption / load (See note below about blinker fix)
    - Reduced heat output
    - Longer life span.
    - Near instant turn on time –VS-halogen
    - Better color rendering –VS- halogen
    - Very directional –VS- halogen light which spreads out 360 degrees. Thus the reason most fixtures have a lens to direct the (halogen) light.
    - Generally not as bright as halogen. So as a rule of thumb:
    - The more actual LED’s that are affixed to the bulb itself, the brighter it will be
    - Due to the reduced load on the electrical circuit, if LED’s are used in the blinker circuit the vehicle will either indicate there is a burned out bulb condition, or blink at a faster / rapid rate. The fix for this is either a load cell (resistor) on each bulb, or the easier fix of replacing the blinker flasher with a relay style device with indicator (sound).

    Source for LED’s:
    My all time favorite source is EBay.

    Next, is V-LEDS: (which also sells on EBay too!): V-LEDS.COM High Power, SMT, Super Bright LEDs, HID Headlight Kits, Automotive Interior & Exterior LED Bulbs

    Superbrightleds: Super Bright LEDs


    So, on to the fun stuff – Here is an example of converting to LED’s on my 2007 Harley Davidson F-150:

    I’ll start at the front:
    First, you have to remove the headlight assembly. There are three bolts and a clip that holds it in place.

    http://www.xtreemkreations.com/headlamp.pdf

    For me the headlight is a dual filament (high & low beam) H13 bulb which I would recommend HID as a replacement for the best color rendering. ** LED’s have not been designed for use as the primary source of light (YET!) **

    I have 9140 fog / driving lamps & although there’s LED replacements out there that will work (such as H10’s & 9150’s) they are still not quite bright enough yet for my taste. Best bet here is get another set of HID lights in the same color as the headlights! If you went with HID for you head lights this would require a total of four ballast!

    Next, is the parking / turn signal lamps. There are many, many choices here. I recommend purchasing the brightest LED bulb you can afford for all exterior bulbs, and highly recommend staying away from colors that weren’t already on the vehicle to begin with. Yeah, blue LED’s are cool, but many jurisdictions reserve blue for police vehicles, and why ask for trouble? Since theses bulbs are 3157’s with dual filaments (one for parking light and the other for blinker flashing) you need an LED bulb with two circuits also. V-LED’s has a new line of lamps with both white and amber LED’s.

    Here’s a comparison of the stock bulb with an LED version:





    The clearance marker lights are 194’s and again, there’s a plethora of options here, including a new style of LED’s called “flank”. In this situation clearance with the amber lens will be the only concern. And since this light will be behind an amber lens, an amber LED would work the best.

    The map lights are 906’s. I’ve had many different types and colors in mine. White is, of course, the brightest.

    The dome light is a 41mm long festoon. Again, lots of color and size options here!

    The vanity lights are 31mm X 6mm festoons.



    As for the third brake light I’ve seen lots of people replace all the bulbs in the OEM assembly, and for the money, I say get a full LED aftermarket assembly, especially for the money you’d end up spending on the bulbs!

    Same goes for the tail lights. I personally like the look of the full LED aftermarket lights I have, the only issue being the backup lights were not LED. This was a quick fix with two 3157 clear LED lights!

    The license plate lights are 194’s and the real issue here is CLEARANCE. It’s been hit or miss for me on these. I would go with a clear “inverted” style LED bulb or a small “flank” style.

    If you have puddle lamps like me, you can ask “how do I…” Yes, they do come apart. No, not very easily. But, nonetheless they do and there's a small festoon style bulb in there too!

    Lastly, you can go hog wild and replace all the remaining interior bulbs, such as behind the instrument cluster and so forth. Be creative have fun. Do some searching. Ask questions! If all else fails, send me a PM or email and I’ll do the best I can.



    .
    Last edited by harly4d; 11-15-2008 at 11:53 PM.

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    I got V-LEDS on mine... Turn signals, Reverse leds, and the whole interior ligthing are leds... Even the vanity lights that go on the side of the sun visor mirrors... They are too SORE! for my eyes! LOL! I also have both HID kits for headlamps and fogs...

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    wait till you see my tails i am doing..

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    nice how-to. We're not doing stickies for how-to's because there'd be 4000 of them, but I'll add it to the how-to lighting index

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    Nice write up...

    I love LED bulbs... I have LED's in all 3 dome lights, and the brakes/turns & reverse. Not to mention all the extra goodies I have around the truck for the night shows. Also sporting HID 6000K's in heads & fogs


    Of course eBay is awesome but I have bought from SuperBrightLED's many times and the guys up there are awesome and truly know what customer service is really about.

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    i used that didlo-looking one before and it sucked ***. just my experience, hope yours is better. My silverstar in the corner lens was way brighter

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    Quote Originally Posted by rman View Post
    i used that didlo-looking one before and it sucked ***. just my experience, hope yours is better. My silverstar in the corner lens was way brighter

    No doubt the first set I had in there where not all that bright. Here is the real world comparison videos:


    Stock bulbs:
    http://www.xtreemkreations.com/OEM.AVI (~20MB)

    First LED attempt:
    http://www.xtreemkreations.com/LED.AVI (~20MB)

    As soon as my truck gets back from the dealer I'll update all this with the latest and greatest, including all the M-SMT LED's I've got!

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    Jeremy...

    I want to replace the turn bulbs in the front. I have replaced the headlights with Silerstars already. I also have LED tails with the stock reverse bulb, so I want to replace that bulb as well. Then the dome lights...is that it?

    Send me a list, if you don't mind, of what I will need for those 3.

    Why is the truck in the shop?????

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    Quote Originally Posted by wwldman View Post
    Jeremy...

    I want to replace the turn bulbs in the front. I have replaced the headlights with Silerstars already. I also have LED tails with the stock reverse bulb, so I want to replace that bulb as well. Then the dome lights...is that it?

    Send me a list, if you don't mind, of what I will need for those 3.

    Why is the truck in the shop?????
    It start getting cold here in Kentucky, and all of a sudden the truck would run like chit when i first started it till it warmed up - about 3 minutes. I found a TSB describing the exact problem to a "T". Then the dealership was going to put a stock 5.4 program in the PCM until I reminded them I had the Saleen S/C. So, now I have no clue how long this is going to take.

    Here is the TSB:
    http://www.xtreemkreations.com/tsb07-24-03.pdf

    I'll post up all the LED info here in a minute or two with links and all!

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    Thanks

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    Wayne, here is a good start:

    For the front turn signal light 3157's:
    Straight up amber:
    AMBER 60 M-SMT PARK/TURN BULBS 3157 3156 | V-LEDS.COM

    New white / amber (type 1):
    TYPE 1 DUAL COLOR CHANGING HID WHITE/AMBER 60 M-SMT TURN SIGNAL BULBS 3157 3157NA 3057 3155 3357 3457 4157 | V-LEDS.COM

    New white / amber (type 2):
    TYPE 2 DUAL COLOR CHANGING HID WHITE/AMBER 60 M-SMT TURN SIGNAL BULBS 3157 SWACK | V-LEDS.COM

    Reverse bulb 3156:
    White:
    HID WHITE 60 M-SMT BACK-UP BULBS 3157 3156 | V-LEDS.COM

    Dome light Festoon 41mm:
    White:
    HID WHITE M-SMT 20 LED DOME LIGHT BULB 212 211 212-2 214 578 | V-LEDS.COM

    There's other color available.

    Map Lights 906:
    White:
    HID WHITE 14 M-SMT HIGH POWER BULBS 917 918 920 921 922 923 | V-LEDS.COM

    Vanity Lights Festoon 31mm:
    HI POWER SMT 3 LED HID WHITE VANITY LIGHT BULB | V-LEDS.COM

    Four required!

    License plate lights:
    White:
    I haven't put these new style in yet, I need to check for clearance issues
    2 HID WHITE FLANK HIGH POWER BULBS 194 168 158 | V-LEDS.COM

    - Jeremy

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    How many map lights are required? How many dome lights are required. How about the 3rd brake light. Mine is LED for the brake but the white lights on either side of the brake light are the original bulbs. What goes there?

    How hard was the vanity light change?

    By the way thanks for the info Jeremy.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cyclone View Post
    Nice write up...

    I love LED bulbs... I have LED's in all 3 dome lights, and the brakes/turns & reverse. Not to mention all the extra goodies I have around the truck for the night shows. Also sporting HID 6000K's in heads & fogs


    Of course eBay is awesome but I have bought from SuperBrightLED's many times and the guys up there are awesome and truly know what customer service is really about.
    Waiting for pics...

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    Quote Originally Posted by harley8029 View Post
    Waiting for pics...
    Which part you want a pic of?

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    Quote Originally Posted by wwldman View Post
    How many map lights are required? How many dome lights are required. How about the 3rd brake light. Mine is LED for the brake but the white lights on either side of the brake light are the original bulbs. What goes there?

    How hard was the vanity light change?

    By the way thanks for the info Jeremy.
    Sorry for the late reply.

    There's two map lights.

    There's only one dome light bulb.

    As for the third brake light I'm not sure. I've got the full LED. There's a good discussion over on F-150 online about this very thing. Let me look that up for ya!

    The vanity lights are a cinch to change. Just use a small screwdriver or nail file on the bottom, there's a little slot there, to bend the lense in a little and they pop out.

    And I forgot about the clearance lights in the front. Again, 194's. I just got the 194 flank style LED's for those too, but I haven't had the chance to put them in. Clearance is an issue with those too, because they tend to rub the amber lens.

    And your very welcome!

    - Jeremy

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